Lahaina Scene

‘Driving Miss Daisy’ opens Friday

March 24, 2011

KIHEI — ProArts Inc. will stage “Driving Miss Daisy” by Alfred Uhry as the first production of its spring season of family friendly shows.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning classic will be presented for ten performances at the ProArts Playhouse in Kihei starting March 25.

“Driving Miss Daisy” is the timeless, searing, funny and ultimately hopeful meditation on race relations in America told through the complex relationship between two of popular culture’s most enduring characters.

When Daisy Werthan, a widowed, 72-year-old Jewish woman living in mid-century Atlanta, is deemed too old to drive, her son, Boolie, hires Hoke Coleburn, an African-American man, to serve as her chauffeur.

What begins as a troubled and hostile pairing soon blossoms into a profound, life-altering friendship that transcends all the societal boundaries placed between them.

From its landmark Off-Broadway production in 1987 to the remarkable success of the Oscar-winning film version (four Academy Awards, including “Best Picture”), “Driving Miss Daisy” has become one of the most beloved American stories of the late 20th century.

“Driving Miss Daisy” is brought to life with Joyce Romero as Daisy, J. Marc Mance as Hoke and Kevin Hazelton as Boolie.

“Driving Miss Daisy” is directed by Jonathan Lehman with scenery designed by Caro Walker, costumes by Robert Mackay and lighting design by Bonnie Prucha.